Trio of distinction
The Potato Association of America (PAA) has added three new Honorary Life Members who have contributed decades of work and knowledge to the industry.
The trio was inducted at PAA’s July 2024 meeting in Portland. The lifetime recognition is the highest individual honor awarded by the organization.
Paul Bethke
Bethke led several research projects related to potato physiology over the last 20 years with the USDA. He has worked on cold-induced sweetening and silencing of acid invertase, resulting in lighter chip color. He studied reduced sugars levels during cold storage in potato wild relatives. He has worked on physiological mechanisms that lead to stem-end defects.
Combined, this work led to new strategies to improve potato for perfect chips. He was instrumental in initiating and coordinating efforts to revolutionize potato breeding through the development of a diploid, hybrid breeding system. This project has spanned several years and research groups across the U.S.
Bethke has a seemingly endless knowledge bank of potato trivia and facts. He always manages to engage people in conversation, get them to ask questions and make sure they have learned something about potatoes. He can ask simple questions, like “Is this alive?” while holding up a potato to a classroom of teenagers, that lead to an effective, informative discussion.
For many years, Bethke coordinated and led the graduate student competition at the PAA annual meeting. His ability to engage students and other scientists allows him to ask questions that make a person think about research and how results fit into the bigger picture.
Bethke has made considerable contributions to the PAA. He served as director from 2017-2019 and was very active in the physiology section and as an editorial board member for American Journal of Potato Research.
During his career, he has embraced the vision of the PAA by being a leading voice for potato science, partnering with worldwide professionals and engaging with the public in support of the potato industry.
Eugenia Banks
Banks was born and raised in Chile. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Chile and her master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. She has worked for the provincial government and with the Ontario Potato Board.
When she started, Banks found a great resource by getting to know the potato growers and the challenges they faced. To battle the Colorado potato beetle, she did insecticide efficiency dip tests and worked on cultural practices such as trenches on field edges, propane flamers and vacuum pumps. She also led the growers in seeking an emergency registration for Admire insecticide that helped change the beetle situation to one that is now under control.
For late blight, Banks has spore traps that are monitored weekly with results sent to growers. She organized the first North American Common Scab conference in Guelph. This led to a multipronged approach to successfully produce potatoes even from once-scabby fields.
Banks has also cooperated over the years with many private and public breeding programs including HZPC, AGRICO, Solanum International; universities including Wisconsin, Michigan State, Cornell and Guelph; Quebec Parmentier, Privar Farm and Sunrise Potato.
Outreach to growers and industry has been a hallmark of Banks’ work. She initiated a scouting and training program in 1991 that continues to this day. She launched the annual Ontario Potato Conference in 1998, which brings presenters from North America and Europe. She contributes to an annual Potato Field Day and a weekly update newsletter. She loves her work and has a deep trust with many growers who call on her for help and vice versa.
Jonathan Whitworth
Whitworth’s introduction to potatoes began on an Idaho farm in his teenage years. He has dedicated himself to the potato industry by advancing the science of potato pathology, particularly regarding potato viruses and seed certification.
He has had a local, national and international impact on the industry. His accomplishments are apparent from the many honors, awards and invitations he has received from groups in the U.S. and abroad. Whitworth has authored or co-authored numerous articles and presentations that are geared toward disease issues and other grower problems.
He has been instrumental in developing the Potato Virus Y Demonstration Plots that have been held in Washington, Wisconsin and Maine four times over the last eight years. These have provided a true teaching moment for expression of PVY strains in varieties specific to those regions.
Despite not having any teaching requirements associated with his positions, Whitworth has been formally invited to sit on graduate student committees, led post-doctoral researchers and has informally influenced and mentored many others.
Whitworth has been a strong and active supporter of PAA. He has served on the graduate student competition committee and on the board of directors, and is currently the organization’s president. He also served as a senior editor for the American Journal of Potato Research from 2015-2024. His participation in PAA has strengthened the organization and inspired others to be active in the society.
Jonathan Whitworth is president of the Potato Association of America and a USDA-Agricultural Research Service research plant pathologist.
